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Diamond BCP-1 questions...

C

captain bass

Jan 28, 2009
83
15
#1
Couple of questions about this pedal...

Anyone using this pedal with a charge pump? Powered by a Volto? In theory this would work, anyone have any experience with this?

And, I've heard of this pedal messing with the attack of your bass. I like the sound of this pedal apart from that point. Can anyone chime in with experience on this topic?

Thanks!
 
#3
I've used one for several years now, and haven't had it mess with the attack at all.

As for powering, you could use just the volto. I'm assuming you're wanting the charge pump for 18v, but that may be unnecessary depending on the rest of your rig. I ran mine at 18v when I first got it, but switched to 9v when I needed the power spot. Have had no issues at all with it on 9v, either. I play passive basses, though.
 
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#4
Thanks, chaps.

Whilst reading all the threads I've seen a couple of people mention the attack thing. Sounds like its not an issue...

I'm playing a Lakland DJ4 which has a DJ Retro installed, so it's a hotter output than normal, not sure how hot compared to other active basses though...

I'll probable use it with just the Volto at first, but if I did need a charge pump then could anyone recommend one...?

Many thanks.
 
#5
I have used the Diamond comp the past few years. I find that it sounds better at 18v for me, so I attempted at one point to use a Godlyke Power Pump, with a One Spot. All I got was a loud hiss coming from my rig when I powered it that way. I'm wondering if it has to do with the Diamond's centre-positive power requirement? Either way, I now power my pedals with a T-Rex Chamelon, no issues now. I've never tried a Volto, so I'm not sure if that would be any better.

As for the attack issue, I use two basses, a P with flats, played finger style, and a J with rounds, played with a pick. I only use the Diamond with the P, as I find I like to keep the attack/edge when playing with a pick. That said, I'd say the same for any comp, the Diamond isn't any better or worse than any other (I've tried a bunch). But with P, it sounds fabulous, and I'll never get rid of it. Not sure what you're looking to get out of a comp, but for what I want, the Diamond is perfect.

Hope that helps.
 
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#6
Thanks for that.

I'm not looking for peak limiting from a compressor, my playing dynamics are decent and I never find peaking an issue. I'm looking for gentle compression and a bit of tonal enhancement and it seems the Diamond does this well... Just need to figure out if I can get it working properly with my rig or to look for something else...
 
#8
The Diamond doesn't mess with anything, it represents pure sonic perfection. :)

Seriously though, I'd say it is a gentle, non-intrusive yet effective compression that also contributes to the tonal enhancement of the pedal. Personally, I've read a ton on the pedal, and I own one, and I've yet to see anyone say anything bad about it. There may be some people out there who want more control over their compression, or those who need more of a utility effect (higher ratio, etc), but I don't see those as complaints but rather as them needing a different pedal.

I run mine with the adapter it came with, so 18V. I've used both active and passive basses through it (right now I have one of each), and I also have it at the end of my chain which contains multiple dirt pedals (like 5+), and never had an issue with it clipping or sounding poor.
 
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#11
This from the manual...

"Certain pedals, like high-fidelity digital delays and reverbs, draw very large amount of power and are frequently in an “always on” mode. “Always on” can mean two things: a) the player leaves the effect engaged all the time, or b) the pedal is drawing current regardless of whether or not the effect is engaged. While VOLTO can power these pedals, it is important to note that VOLTO was not designed to power these types of effects as a primary design function. VOLTO’s battery life will be diminished using the pedal types."
 
#12
Can anyone shed some light on this? Anyone use a Volto with an 'always on' pedal?

Understandably, a digital, high-draw pedal would be more problematic with a Volto, but maybe the Diamond might work? Is the Diamond's current draw 20mA or something?

I know that my Volto powered my You're Doom for something like 30+ hours...
 
#13
I think they're emphasizing high-draw digital effects in that passage rather than something like the You're Doom or BCP-1.

On another note, I believe that you'll need some sort of polarity reversing cable for the BCP-1. It requires center positive power, whereas the Volto, I'm assuming, puts out center negative power. And I don't know if the Volto comes with such a cable (it may). Just something to be aware of.
 
#14
Yeh, I thought they'd be talking about high-draw digital effects there...

Apparently the Diamond comes with a polarity reversing cable, so all good there.

I'm assuming the Diamond would use about the same amount of power as the You're Doom? Even if the voltage is higher but the draw is the same?

Cheers.
 
#15
Another question...

I've just bought the Diamond comp along with a Diago 9v to 18v adapter.

So, to use this comp with my Volto - would I take the Volto's 9v DC centre negative and plug it into the Diago adapter (the Diago input and output is centre negative) to get 18v DC centre negative. And then from there plug into the polarity reverse adapter and then into the Diamond?

Any advice is appreciated as I'm rubbish with this sort of stuff and I don't want to mess anything up!

Cheers!
 

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